


The Proposal

by Tofudonut



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Marriage Proposal, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-16 04:13:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7251640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tofudonut/pseuds/Tofudonut
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dori and Balin have barely spent anytime together. It's a wonder they even know eachother's name. So, when Balin suddenly asks Dori to marry him...Dori isn't really sure what to do? WIP</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Popping The Question!

**Author's Note:**

> This is a WIP and may never be finished.....also if anyone has a better name for the title, please, let me know!

The knock on the door was unexpected. Dori was just finishing his afternoon tea when he heard it. He quickly tidied up before opening the door to find Balin.

“Master Balin?” Dori was shocked to find the dwarf at his door and not with Ori at his apprenticeship. He glanced around a bit before asking, “Where is Ori?”

“He is in the library doing research,” He replied while fidgeting a bit with the strap of his bag, “May I come in?”

“Yes, Yes, of course!” Dori moved aside and closed the door once the other had passed, “Come, Please, sit.” He gestured to the small arm chairs in the living room.

“Oh, thank you.” Balin sat, pulling his bag onto his lap to fiddle with the latches.

“Now, what can I help you with?” Dori asked nervously as he watch the way the other was acting. Balin was alway calm and confident, traits Dori admired in the dwarf.

“Um, Yes. Well, I’m not sure how to phrase this...”

That was another red flag for Dori. Balin was alway good with word. He always knew what to say and how to say it. What could Balin have to say that he seemed scared to tell Dori? **Did it have to do with Ori?** Now Dori was starting to get scared as well!

“Is Ori okay?” he found himself asking in a panic.

“Yes! Yes, he is fine. This has nothing to do with him.” Balin was quick to reply.

“Yes, of course not. My apologies.” He blushed with a small smile, “What was it you were going to say?”

“I guess the best way to do this is to just to say it,” he was silent for a moment looking down at his lap before looking up into Dori’s eyes and asking, “Dori, Will you marry me?”

**What?**

“Excuse me?”

“I know this is a shock and may seem to come out of nowhere, but-”

“No, wait, what did you say?”

“Um, I asked you to marry me.”

**Marry?!? He wants to marry me? We’ve only met 5 times! And that is including today!! How could he possibly want to marry someone he hasn't even spent more than 3 hours, collectively, with?**

They were silent for a long while as Dori let the information sink in.

“You want to MARRY me?” Dori pointed at Balin then back at himself.

“Yes,” Balin began to speak before Dori could, “ As I was saying, I know this is a shock and may seem to come out of nowhere, but I have had my heart set on you from the first moment I saw you.”

**What? The first time we met was when I first dropped Ori off for his apprenticeship a little over a year ago? I had simply introduced myself and Ori before turning and leaving, after making sure Ori had all of his things?**

“I saw the way you cared for your brother and-” Balin blushed and rubbed the back of his head. Dori look on in disbelief. “Now I know what you are thinking, but this will be good for both of us.”

“In what way?” Dori could not think of any way at all that this would benefit the other. It would easily help Dori’s social standing, if he accepted that is.

“Well, You would, of course, be brought up into the higher classes,” he answered awkwardly before adding, “Not to mention, I am a fairly wealthy man and, of course, if we were to marry all my wealth would be shared with you. You will also be allowed to move into the mountain where I live with my own brother.”

“I have no cares for wealth.” Dori replied haughtily, though that wasn’t entirely true. He and his family were in no way rich and any chance at having more money to help feed and cloth Ori was worth considering, but if a side effect of money was leaving his brothers, especially Ori, it was not worth the thought.

“Your brothers are allowed to move in as well.” Balin added as if reading Dori’s mine, “My halls are vast with many rooms.”

“And you?”

“I’m sorry?”

“What do you gain from this marriage?”

“Why, your beauty by my side, of course.”

Dori blushed at the compliment not knowing what to say.

“I will give you time to think,” Balin got to his feet, “I will return in a week for your answer.” and with that he walked to the door and left.

Leaving Dori stunned, silently staring at the empty chair.


	2. Nori Makes His Appearance!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori comes home and tries to figure out what the heck is going on.

Nori came home a few hours later slamming the door as he walked into the living room. He spotted Dori, still frozen in his seat, and walked over curiously. Dori was always busy doing something even when there was nothing to do. He would be up and about cleaning or baking or knitting, but never sitting motionless.

“You okay there, Dori?” there was no reply. He walked around to see the other’s blank face and unblinking eyes. “Where is Ori?” He knew Ori was at his apprenticeship, but the most sure fire way to get Dori to snap out of a daze was to mention Ori’s name.

When that didn’t work Nori began to get scared.

“I stole three gold necklaces from the market today?” still nothing. “from that shop by the bakery?” silence. “I also punched that nice baker, the one that gives us the leftovers?”

Now he was just making things up to get a rile out of him as worry began to shift into panic. “Ori got stabbed! I stabbed Ori! He is bleeding out! Ori is going to die!” when even that didn’t even get a flinch out of Dori Nori resorted to begging, “Please, Dori, say something! Anything, please, please! I’ll do anything, please!”

“Married,” it was uttered so softly Nori almost didn’t hear it with all his panicked shouting and begging.

“Married? Who? Who’s gettin’ married?” Nori was so confused.

“Me.”

“What? You?”

“Yes.”

“Dori, Please! You’re not making sense!”

Dori slowly turned his head to look into his brother’s eye, “I am getting married.”

“What are you talking about? Married to who?” Nori demanded.

“Balin...Balin came earlier...and asked me to marry him...”

“What?” Nori was suddenly quiet, speaking just above a whisper.

“I was having tea then there was a knock and there he was! He said it would be good for both of us, but I still don’t understand how? He said I could take you both with me and-” Suddenly Dori was up and everywhere, walking around the room, sitting in a chair for a second before getting up to pace for a bit before sitting in a different chair.

“Dori, calm down. Take us where?”

“Into the mountain, of course. That’s where he lives!”

“Into the mountain?” Nori was getting even more confused, “You need to sit down and explain everything to me or there is no way I’ll ever be able to understand what’s goin’ on.”

Dori made tea, to keep his hands busy, and explained everything to Nori. Nori wasn’t sure what to say. There was no doubt he should take it. They really needed the money, they were way behind on the house payments and days away from losing it. But that didn’t seem like an issue if they all moved under the mountain.

“Dori, I really don’t see any other option.” Nori said solemnly.

“I have to accept.” Dori sighed looked at his brother over his cup of tea.

“You don’t think he would force himself on you?” Looking worriedly at his older brother.

“Balin is not that type of man.”

Silence stretched out awkwardly as they both sipped at their tea.

“What are you goin’ to tell Ori?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“You can’t really tell him you are doing it for the money...or the family...”

“What should I say?” Dori set his cup down softly and stared at it, “I can’t say it’s for love...”

“He gave you a week...You don’t have to tell Ori right away? You have time.”

“Not as much as I would like,” a heavy sigh slipped from his lips just before the front door opened.

“I’m home!” Ori’s cheerful voice filled the house.

“In The Kitchen!” Nori called turning and throwing on a casual smile, “How was scribing?”

Ori chuckled as he walked into the small room, “Great! Mister Balin sent me to the library all day to research for our next job!” he beamed.

Nori looked over at Dori as Ori continued to talk about his day. Dori was slumped down in his chair looking down at his empty cup with a heartbreaking look on his face. Quickly Nori suggested they bake some apple tarts. The eldest brother loved apple tarts and loved baking with Ori even more. Ori jumped at the chance to bake, chattering excitedly, which made Dori come out of his depression for the moment.


End file.
